Hospital Corp. of America, known as HCA, is based in Nashville, Tenn. It is the majority owner of Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria, La.

Written by

LANCE WILLIAMS
The Tennessean

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Nashville-based HCA was ordered Thursday by a Missouri judge to pay $162 million because the hospital giant failed to make the required upgrades to a group of older hospitals it purchased in Kansas City in 2003, according to a report in The New York Times.

The ruling stemmed from a 2009 lawsuit filed against the company in connection with its purchase of a dozen hospitals from Health Midwest about a decade ago.

As part of the deal, HCA said it would make up to $450 million in improvements in the hospitals within the first four years following the deal. In addition, the company ...